Escape from Alcatraz by Eric Braun
Review by jjares
This is a fascinating story without a solution. The writer gives all the known facts and then offers several possible explanations. However, the author leaves it up to the reader to decide. Did three men escape Alcatraz or not?
Although this book was written for 9 to 12-year-olds, adults will love this book too. The photos of the Alcatraz prison and escape routes add much to the entertainment value of this book. I couldn’t put this book down until I finished it. There are so many possible solutions that it is an excellent springboard for discussion.
If the three prisoners of Alcatraz escaped, they were uniquely talented at escaping from prisons. They were assigned to Alcatraz because of their penchant for escaping from other maximum prisons. Frank Morris was notorious for running multiple times. The Anglin brothers, JW and Clarence, were also prison escapees assigned to Alcatraz. The thought was that the prisoners would remain intact in Alcatraz (on an island surrounded by water). Alcatraz was famous because no one had escaped this famous prison. There had been many attempts but no successes.
There was a fourth potential escapee: Allen West. He was on his second term at Alcatraz. The author states that Allen was the key to the escape because he’d been at Alcatraz since 1957 and worked maintenance jobs. While doing various jobs, he could case the facility for his cohorts and collect or create tools.
In this short book, the author introduces all the characters and how they got to Alcatraz. Then, he explains their plan and how they implemented it (parts of it were brilliant). Unfortunately, an unexpected problem at the last minute caused Allen West to remain behind. Finally, the author has investigated many ideas offered to prove or disprove that the men survived and escaped.
Finally, a glossary of terms (used in the book) and questions to spark discussions about the material are included. Thought-provoking.
